Anderson claims Jim Yancey Junior Golf Championship

Christian Anderson stepped up when it mattered most to claim the Jim Yancey Junior Golf Championship on Tuesday afternoon at Ocala Golf Club.

By Richard Burton Correspondent

Christian Anderson stepped up when it mattered most to claim the Jim Yancey Junior Golf Championship on Tuesday afternoon at Ocala Golf Club.Anderson, the reigning Star-Banner Boys Golfer of the Year, birdied three of the final five holes on Tuesday and earned the tournament title in the 15-17-year-old division by two shots over Grant Lovell."I didn't play very well at all on the front nine and I really picked it up on the back nine," Anderson said. "I knew I had to do it. That's really it."Anderson, who led by two shots after Monday's opening round of 74, fired a 73 on Tuesday to hold off Grant Lovell (76-73), Howie George (81-72-153), Palmer Lovell (77-73-150), Corey Haught (86-74-160) and Nicholas Wiglesworth (89-73-162) on a day in which many improved their scores from the tough opening round at the Country Club of Ocala.George, last year's MCIAC champion with Forest High School, had the lowest score on Tuesday and golfers like Wiglesworth also did well to get into contention."I thought I played very well (on Tuesday) and the conditions we had (on Monday) made it tough," said Wiglesworth. "This is my home course (with Forest's team) and I was very used to it."Also on Tuesday for the boys, Seth Wright (77-77-154) claimed the championship in the 13-14-year-old division, with Miles Albright (87-78-165) taking second.Rounding things out for the boys was Gray Albright's win in the boys' 11-12 division. He shot 75-74-149 to beat Thomas Regan (78-77-155) by six strokes.For the girls, a pair of Forest High teammates took the top spots in the 15-17-year-old division.After finishing tied after Monday's opening round, Riley Jones shot a final round 87 and finished with an aggregate two-day score of 180, 10 shots better than Emily Mizner."I just tried my best," said Jones, who will be a sophomore at FHS this fall. "Emily is one of my best friends and it is very easy to play (golf) with her."In the 11-14-year-old girls group, Stephanie Pick fired a final round 75 and won her flight by a whopping 54 shots.Pick fired a 77 on Monday and had complete control of her group throughout.